


The changes that make the difference

by Yuna_Nightshade



Category: Naruto
Genre: Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto)-centric, Fix-It of Sorts, For Want of a Nail, Gen, Slow Burn, Smart Uzumaki Naruto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:08:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26051659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuna_Nightshade/pseuds/Yuna_Nightshade
Summary: Where Naruto actually has an Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai, Hanabi is determined to NOT become the Hyūga clan head, Rin survived with Obito being none the wiser, Shisui is the one who joins Akatsuki instead of Itachi, Tsunade never left Konoha, mindscapes apparently are the new afterlife and Orochimaru decided that being a teacher at the Academy might just be even more live-fulfilling than his human experiments. Or, a Naruto fanfiction where I just mixed all my ideas together hoping it would turn out alright somehow.
Relationships: Dai-nana-han | Team 7 & Hatake Kakashi, Gaara/Haku (Naruto), Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hanabi & Hyuuga Hinata & Hyuuga Neji, Hyuuga Hanabi/Sarutobi Konohamaru, Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Neji/Tenten, Katou Dan/Tsunade, Namikaze Minato/Uzumaki Kushina, Nara Shikamaru/Temari, Nohara Rin/Uchiha Obito, Ootsutsuki Asura & Ootsutsuki Indra, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Sai/Yamanaka Ino, Sarutobi Asuma/Yuuhi Kurenai, Sarutobi Hiruzen & Uzumaki Naruto, Sarutobi Konohamaru/Uzumaki Naruto, Senju Hashirama & Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Itachi & Uchiha Sasuke & Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi & Uchiha Shisui & Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 21
Kudos: 59





	1. When the world seems to come to an end

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this is my first attempt to write a fanfiction. Or at least the first I will publish I guess... Only wrote on Wattpad so far (without publishing) so it was a surprise that you can't keep it unpublished (or I just haven't found that option...). So I just decided to actually write something, so the options selected above wouldn't just go to waste. Don't know when I will update though, depends on reviews and my mood I guess. So if you like it, just write a comment ^^

Hiruzen Sarutobi helplessly craddled the blonde baby in his arms as he looked down at the dead body of his successor and the man's beautiful red haired wife, half-lying on the ground, only steadied by one of his Shinobi. The dark rings under her eyes spoke tales about the exertion she had gone through. Giving birth was a straining experience for a woman, even under normal circumstances. Holding a monster like the Kyūbi at bay while doing so was an entirely different story altogether. Fighting a battle against said beast minutes afterwards would take a humongous toll on even the strongest shinobi. It was a miracle that Kushina had survived at all, now Hiruzen just had to ensure it stayed that way. 

"Take her to the Leaf Hospital immediately! Summon the Medical Ninja! Find Tsunade!" His orders were directed at the two Jõnin, who had accompanied him to face the Kyūbi, to protect their village from the fox. If they hurried Kushina might make it. There had been more than enough deaths that day already, too many children who had lost their parents to the Bijū. He didn't want the little son of Minato and Kushina to be one of them. 

It came as a bit of a surprise, when Kushina managed to open her eyes and even more so when she started to speak. "Sandaime..."

Hiruzen attributed it to the amazing healing abilities of the Uzumaki Clan, they had always astonished him. And, he thought grimly, they made the Uzumaki the perfect vessels for a Bijū. If anything, the seal on the child's stomach indicated that the child had been damned to become the next Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi. He immediately knelt down in front of her, to be able to speak face to face. He somehow had to convince her to save her strength. "Kushina...!" 

"Please take care..." He could see how much it strained her to form the words. How she had to pause in the middle of the sentence just made it even more obvious. "...of the child." 

He had to reassure her, so she would save her strength. He quickly answered her, the only possible answer he could give her anyway. "Of course you don't need to worry." He just hoped his words would be enough to satisfy her for the moment. It would be her who would raise and take care of her and Minato's child. They just had to get her to the hospital, to have a Medic Ninja treat her.

However, Kushina didn't let go of the discussion. She had always been the stubborn type and he had never cursed that part of her personality as much as in this exact moment. "His name is... Naruto..." She looked at the soundly sleeping form of her little son fondly as she said so. "Minato and I... picked it from ... Jiraiya-sensei's novel..." The smile on her face seemed so utterly misplaced for the situation they currently were in. It made Hiruzen's heart clench. Kushina was giving him this small pieces of information, because she thought she couldn't afford to do so later, that she wouldn't make it through this. 

He was desperate now, losing the rest of his self composure. He just blurted out his thoughts, in a last-ditch attempt to make her save her strength until the Medic Ninjas, and with them Tsunade, arrived. "Naruto you say? Fine. I take full responsibility. So for the child's sake, you must rest!"

He looked to the side, deep on the inside he knew that it was too late, that Tsunade and the Medic Ninjas would not arrive on time to save her. Even so, it still came as a shock when he looked at her again, seeing her eyes closed and her form too still. He had lost many comrades, friends and even family over the years, but it never got any easier. 

"Kushina! I promise..." he looked down at the blonde boy in his arms, oblivious to what had transpired the day of his birth. Still so innocent in the bloody world they lived in. 

In this moment he swore to himself, that he would raise Naruto himself. He would keep his promise to Kushina and shoulder that responsibility, no matter the consequences.

* * *

Finding herself lying in a seemingly empty space of dazzling white was certainly a new experience. If this was the afterlife, it really, really sucked to be dead.

At least Kushina was pretty sure that she had died, because being impaled by the Kyūbi's claw should have done the job, even with her extraordinary life force thanks to her Uzumaki heritage. 

She also remembered her last moments talking to the Sandaime, telling him everything he needed to know, making him promise to take good care of Naruto, in both Minato's and her stead. Hiruzen had again and again told her to save her strength instead, but Kushina had stubbornly continued talking, because she had felt her life slowly drain away and would have been damned if she didn't make sure her newborn son was raised properly. 

Not that she doubted the Sandaime, but it had given her peace to hear him promise to take the responsibility for Naruto's well-being himself. Even so, it pained her immensely that she couldn't raise him, together with Minato, that she wouldn't be able to see him grow up. The only consolation she had, was the fact that she had sealed the last bit of her chakra inside Naruto, like Minato had told her to, to ensure a reunion with her son. 

Kushina sighed, the whiteness of her surroundings starting to really grate on her nerves. Seriously, if she had to spend eternity here, it would eventually drive her mad.

She decided that it would probably be best to wander around for a bit, searching for anything or anyone else in this dreary place. It was only slightly irritating that she couldn't make out what the hell she was even walking on, only that it apparently was a completely flat ground. 

What felt like around half an hour later her optimism had greatly diminished, when her surroundings hadn't changed in the slightest no matter how far she had gone. Almost ready to give up, she almost thought it to be only her imagination, when she saw a brown blotch in the distance, until she realized that it was slowly getting bigger, suddenly finding herself staring at a man around her age, with short spiky brown hair, two locks wrapped in bandages framing either side of his face and dark eyes.

Instead of a forehead protector, he wore bandages wrapped around his head, though it looked more like a fashion statement than a wrapped up injury. His white Kimono was adorned with black magatama around the collar, held close by a dark-coloured sash. All in all, Kushina thought, she had seen weirder outfits. 

Before Kushina could come up with something to say, because honestly, she hadn't really thought she would meet anyone in this place, the man spoke, frowning slightly. "You shouldn't be here." 

Well, okay, that wasn't what Kushina had expected. Not to say that she had expected him to say anything in particular, but his words were borderline rude. It wasn't like she had wanted to come here, wherever this was, because honestly, who would willingly stay in this boring place?

"Well, I didn't exactly come here of my own choice, dattebane! So if you would be so kind to show me the way out, I really would do nothing more gladly than to leave this place." 

Okay, maybe she could have been a bit nicer, but all this white made Kushina a little cranky. The man now looked at her, seemingly contemplating what to answer to her little rant. He came a few steps closer, Kushina immediately tensing, should he decide to try to remove her forcefully.

Upon seeing her reaction, he came to a halt, looking a bit unsure of how to proceed. Finally, he seemed to find the words to answer her. "I don't know if you can leave. You weren't supposed to even come here in the first place." That didn't give Kushina any explanation about her situation whatsoever.

She sighed, apparently she had to ask more direct questions to get a useful answer. "Where or what is this place? Why is everything here white?" He looked thoughtful at her words. Seriously, couldn't he just answer the question? 

"We are inside the mindscape of a newborn child. That is also the reason why everything here is still white, the child hasn't had time to unconsciously create its own unique mindscape yet."

That actually was pretty straight forward. Maybe the man was a Yamanaka, or had a created a similar technique. Because apparently it wasn't his first time in the mindscape of a newborn child.

Interesting.

He had said that the place they were in was the mindscape of a newborn and that Kushina wasn't supposed to be there. The only logical conclusion was that the chakra Kushina had sealed within Naruto had been the trigger for all of this. Which meant that Kushina was stuck in Naruto's mind, as a chakra fragment of who she really was. Great. 

Hopefully he wasn't some megalomaniac bent to obtain immortality. That would definitely ruin Kushina's day. Which pegged the question what this man was doing in a mindscape that wasn't his own.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my son's mind?" She didn't quite manage to get the sharp undertone out of her voice. The man looked a bit startled at the question, but quickly got over it, a smile forming on his face. 

"My name is Asura Ōtsutsuki and as for the reason I am in your son's mindscape... well, to be blunt about it, he is my reincarnation." Of all the possible answers, this was the most ridiculous thing he could come up with? Reincarnation? But Kushina was an Uzumaki and as such new how many things thought to be utterly impossible made possible through Fūinjutsu.

She narrowed her eyes. "Explain." 

And so he did, a tale about a woman, descended from the skies, the creation of the Bijū, the origin of the Uchiha, Senju and Hyūga clans and a feud between two brothers, raging through generations, fought by their reincarnations.

In the end, Kushina's mind was whirling from all the new and completely insane information. Sadly, she doubted that anyone could think up such an elaborate lie. Or at least no one mostly sane. For now she would play along. 

"Alright. I believe you." She looked at the man, surprise was written all over his face, as if he couldn't belief that he had convinced her this easily.

"So, what do we do now?"

* * *

The moment Minato woke up, his eyes were assaulted by blinding whiteness. Slowly standing up, he looked around again, spectacularly failing to make out anything else but the white space completely encompassing him from all sides. It took a few seconds until he finally remembered what had transpired before he had lost conscioussness. 

The birth of his and Kushina's son, Naruto. 

A mysterious man wearing that ridiculous yellow mask to conceal his identity attacking them. 

Fighting against said man and later the Kyūbi's attack on the village. 

His resolve to make Naruto the next Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi. 

Deciding to use the Shiki Fūjin to seal half of the Kyūbi within himself. 

Him and Kushina being impaled by the Kyūbi's claw, protecting their newborn son. 

Minato dying. 

Because if anything, Minato definitely knew for sure that he had died. Or at least, that the Shinigami had collected his soul as payment for the Shiki Fūjin. 

He looked around again, trying to find anything at all. White, white and, oh look at that, more white! For some reason, the stomach of the Shinigami looked rather... anticlimactic. 

It wasn't helping, that he couldn't spot the Kyūbi anywhere either. Had the Shiki Fūjin somehow failed? 

He was shaken out of his thoughts by a polite cough from behind him. Minato whirled around, reaching for a kunai out of habit, before freezing when he came face to face with someone, he had only heard stories about. Someone he had only heared stories about, because said person had already been long dead before Minato had even been born. 

"Shodaime-sama?!" 

There was no doubt about it, the man who had been hailed as the God of Shinobi himself was standing in front of him, clad in dark red armor constructed from numerous metal plates. How the hell had Hashirama Senju ended up in the Shinigami's stomach? 

"What are you doing here?!" 

Belatedly, he realised how rude his question had been, blurted out in utter surprise at seeing the man who had all but founded Konoha. Said man tilted his head to the side, seemingly contemplating for a moment before answering to Minato's thoughtless words.

"Do I know you?" Minato was startled for a second, before turning around, pointing at the red words embroidered on his white cloak. "My name is Minato Namikaze. The fourth Hokage, sir." 

The blitheful expression on Hashirama's face completely contradicted Minato's life-long image of the man. Though many strong shinobi Minato knew were a little... eccentric, he had always envisioned their founder as a bit more, well, dignified. 

"Oh? The fourth Hokage, you say? I see!" 

He looked way too happy for Minato to let himself relax. Hashirama spread out his arms and for the first time Minato clearly understood the notion of shinobi from other villages calling the people from Konoha 'tree huggers'. He could clearly envision this man hugging a tree, one he might have grown himself.

He was once again ripped from his musings when the Shodaime continued speaking. "So the village has remained stable!"

...Only if being crushed by the Kyūbi counted as being stable, which Minato somehow doubted. A sinking feeling slowly settled in his stomach. He didn't know what to answer, because he couldn't just tell Hashirama that when he had last seen Konoha, it had pretty much been razed to the ground.

Minato was glad when the other didn't wait for an answer. "By the way, do you know where we are?" Back to the initial question at hand it seemed. Apparently the Shodaime was as clueless as himself. 

"I am not completely sure myself, to be honest. My best guess would be that we are inside the Shinigami's stomach."

Hashirama's gobsmacked face at that was priceless. Minato wished that Kushina was here, she certainly would have loved to see the man's expression. "How did I end up in the Shinigami's stomach? Or you for that matter?" 

Yes, that was exactly the type of conversation Minato had wanted, and apparently failed, to avoid. How the hell was he supposed to explain that the Shodaime's beloved village had all but been destroyed by a rampaging Kyūbi?

Before Minato could formulate an answer that wouldn't anger the probably strongest shinobi in all of Konoha's history, another voice answered in his stead. He immediately recognized the voice, belonging to his beautiful red haired wife. It seemed as if his previous wish had been granted, though she definitely shouldn't be within the Shinigami's stomach either. 

One person was a coincidence, but two a pattern. It seemed like they weren't in the Shinigami's stomach after all. Which left Minato without any clues on their whereabouts whatsoever.

"My dear husband had the brilliantly stupid idea to sacrifice himself by using the Shiki Fujin to seal the Kyūbi, to stop it from completely obliterating Konoha. As for why we all are here, Shodaime-sama. Well, I guess he can give you a better answer to that than me." 

She jerked her arm back, pointing at an unfamiliar brown haired man standing a few steps behind her, which Minato hadn't noticed before for some reason. He blamed it on all the tiring insanity that had happened the last 24 hours. 

The man strode forward, so he was standing next to Kushina "My name is Asura Ōtsutsuki. And as for why you are here..." The man calling himself Asura started telling them a story, which his wife had apparently already heard, seeing the smug grin on her face. 

Frankly, it was too absurd to not be true and it looked like Kushina had already made up her mind to believe the strange man's words. He decided to trust his wife in this matter. 

"So, to sum this up, you and Shodaime-sama are the previous reincarnations of my son and my wife and I are stuck with you in our son's mindscape." Hashirama looked just as lost as Minato felt. 

Asura looked a bit sheepish at his next words. "Well...almost, we are stuck along with the Kyūbi, you sealed half of him into your son after all." 

Yup, it was official, being dead sucked.


	2. How to save a life by almost being kidnapped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before this one, I had two different ideas for the second chapter and ended up scrapping both in the end. Then I came up with this idea, but I had to rewrite it three times and added the first and last part until I was more or less satisfied with the result. 
> 
> Also, I'm honestly sorry, but I will probably not update this fanfiction on a regular basis, because I have a ton of other hobbies, schoolwork that tends to pile up like a Hokage's paperwork (especially during distance learning) and a muse that likes to disappear whenever I need it the most. 
> 
> But now without further ado, here the new chapter. I hope you enjoy!

Three years had already passed since the fateful day when Minato and Kushina had given their lives to seal the Kyūbi and Hiruzen had vowed to look after their son. 

Three years since Hiruzen's own wife had died. With her gone, Hiruzen hadn't found in himself the strength to take care of the boy on his own on top of being reinstated as the Hokage. 

He simply was too old to properly take care of a baby. 

But he had promised Kushina to take care of her child, so he had arranged the next best solution. Naruto had been adopted by Hiruzen eldest son Kazuya and his wife Kohaku, who had already toyed with the idea of having a child and readily agreed to raise Naruto as their own. 

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third Hokage and widely known, respected and feared as the God of Shinobi, was sitting in his office, absentmindedly smoking his pipe while going through the bane of all Kage's, also known as paperwork. On this particular day, there was even more than usually, partly because of the festival which would be held in Konoha in a few days but also because of the peace negotiations with Kumo which they were currently undergoing.

Despite those important events, Hiruzen's mind was currently elsewhere, trying to come up with someone suitable to look after Naruto during this busy time. 

Because of an urgent mission, crucial to Konoha's safety, Naruto's adoptive parents, both members of Konoha's Anbu, were away from the village. Hiruzen's youngest son, Asuma, who usually would look after Naruto during such a situation, was currently staying in the hospital after a mission gone slightly awry, ending with a broken leg and several smaller injuries. 

He had toyed with the idea of letting Naruto stay with him in his office or let some Genin or even Anbu look after the boy, but had quickly discarded every single one of those ideas. 

Naruto would only distract him from his work, seeing as the boy quickly got bored, which usually led to some mischief or other. The Anbu were an elite squad not to be used as babysitters, much less qualified for such a job, they were after all ruthless assassins who were sent on suicide missions on a daily basis. Genin on the other hand were simply too weak to protect Naruto from harm, even with their Jōnin Sensei present, who would only be hindered by his responsibility to keep his students out of harm's way during a fight. 

The little blonde boy had a double target on his back after all, one for being the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi, even if that was a secret known only to a select few, but also for being the son of the Yellow Flash, Konoha's Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. 

Tsunade and Dan were out because they had enough to do already, being the best medic-nin in Konoha's hospital. Jiraya on the other hand wasn't really suited to look after a small child, had he been in the village in the first place, and Orochimaru would probably sooner dissect the boy than take care of him, or at least leave Naruto in a potentially hazardous environment within one of his labs, where the too-curious-for-his-own-good boy would get himself killed.

Kakashi certainly wasn't a possibility either, still too caught in his grief and Anbu duties and Rin had enough to do with looking after Kakashi, fulfilling her own duties as a shinobi and her training as the Jinchūriki of the Sanbi.

The only other person he could come up with was Mikoto Uchiha, who had been a good friend of Kushina's, but sadly she was also out of the question, because of the current political tensions between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan. 

Suddenly Hiruzen had an idea. Immediately he set up a fresh sheet of paper in front of himself, starting to write a formal letter.

Sayuri Hyūga, the current Hyūga Clan Head's wife and a former teammate of Kohaku's might agree to look after Naruto for a few days, especially if the request came from the Hokage himself. 

Hiruzen knew that Hiashi, the Clan Head of the Hyūga, had a daughter around Naruto's age, which his surrogate grandson could play with and Naruto couldn't be any safer than in a settlement inhabited by people who had a Kekkei Genkai allowing them a 360° field of vision that reached to infathomable distances and could penetrate even walls. 

Little did he know, that the Hyūga Compound probably was the least safe place within the entirety of Konoha, seeing as to what events would soon transpire within its premises

* * *

Three year old Naruto was bored. He was staying over at the Hyūga Clan Heads's home because everyone in his family was busy.

Naruto's grandfather Hiruzen Sarutobi was the Hokage, the most important person in the village. Which according to said man apparently was also the equivalent of late nights with paperwork. His parents, Kazuya Sarutobi and Kohaku Sarutobi had been sent on an important mission for the village and wouldn't return anytime soon. 

Normally, Asuma Sarutobi, Naruto's uncle, would take care of him during such circumstances, but he was currently staying at the hospital and wouldn't be discharged soon, if Naruto's aunt Tsunade had any say in the matter. 

All in all no one from Naruto's imminent family were available at the moment, so the Hokage had arranged the next best thing. At least in his opinion. Apparently Sayuri Hyūga, the Hyūga Clan Head's wife and Naruto's mother had been good friends since the Academy, which was the reason why his grandfather had asked them to take care of Naruto for a while, at least until Asuma was discharged. 

The initial excitement about spending time at this unknown new place however had quickly worn off after arriving. The Hyūga Clan, with its unpractical formal clothing, rigid behaviour and strict rules could be described in a single sentence: Completely and utterly boring. 

At the moment, Naruto was watching the Clan Head, Hiashi, spar with his daughter, Hinata, whom he had been told was his age. According to the Hyūga that had been tasked with being Naruto's caretaker during the duration of his stay, the style they were using was called the Gentle Fist, designed to inflict damage by closing the tenketsu of the body's Chakra Pathway System. 

Needless to say, that the explanation went way over Naruto's head, because he definitely didn't know what tenketsu nor the Chakra Pathway System were, apart from the obvious that it had something to do with Chakra, which let the shinobi under his grandfather's command stick to walls and use cool Jutsu. Furthermore, neither of them were using chakra at the moment, so he didn't exactly understand what the man meant with inflicting damage either. 

He made a mental note to ask his uncle Orochimaru the next time he came by to visit. But even so, in Naruto's opinion it wasn't very gentle at all, though he wisely kept quiet about his thoughts. He really didn't want to upset the people he would be staying with for an unknown period of time. 

At least not this early on. 

But if the rest of his stay continued to be as boring as this, he wouldn't make any promises. 

The explanation of his caretaker had sounded interesting for sure, but to watch a child his age spar with an adult, for what felt like hours on end, while you had to sit perfectly still, was pretty annoying. Even more so because the fight was extremely one sided, with Hiashi evading Hinata's every attack with ease, tiring the girl out while insulting her posture, footwork or attacks. 

Hinata just continued to meekly agree every time he complained about something, trying to fix it the best she could, desperately trying to appease her father. It frustrated Naruto to no end. Didn't the man see that his daughter was doing her best? 

Naruto sighed internally, shifting his weight, trying to relieve his legs a little. He wasn't used to kneeling this long, or at all for that matter. Already he could feel them get numb, but he didn't dare try to sit normally. But if he had to keep sitting like this, his legs would probably fall off. 

What made the whole ordeal even more frustrating, was the fact, that today a festival was held in Konoha, with every citizen attending and having fun. That is, with the exception of the Hyūga Clan, and in extension Naruto. 

When he had asked his caretaker, while lamenting about it, he had been told that today was Hinata's third birthday. He had expected a party or at least some sort of celebration after hearing that, not this spar of all things. 

What was wrong with this place?! 

He was thrown out of his self-pity by the voice of Hiashi's younger twin brother. "Listen up, Neji. That Hinata-sama from the head family... You must live to protect her and protect the Ability of the Hyūga." 

Naruto peered over at the man looking almost identical to the Clan Head, Hizashi, who had until then only silently watched the spar unfold. Whoever had come up with the two twins' names hadn't possessed much ingenuity, if any at all. 

The one he had adressed was his son Neji, Hinata's older cousin, who knelt beside Naruto, smiling the entire time they had watched the spar, even though he had bandages wrapped around his head, as if he was hurt, like the people in the hospital often did. Naruto had contemplated asking what had happened to him but hadn't wanted to ruin the boy's excellent mood.

Neji was practically beaming as he answered to Hizashi's words."Yes, Father!" 

For the first time this day, Hizashi looked over at his son and away from the spar, a disgruntled frown slowly forming on his face. Naruto didn't know what about Neji's answer had made the man angry, it had seemed like the correct answer to Naruto. Slowly, the veins around Hizashi's eyes began to bulge, startling Naruto. 

When he had first arrived at the Hyūga Compound he had found their white eyes devoid of any pupils weird, but he had been told that it was a Kekkei Genkai called the Byakugan, a special ability the Hyūga had that enabled them to see much better than other people. Apparently a Kekkei Genkai was something like a Jutsu, but exclusive to a family or a single person and couldn't be learned by others.

This had immediately sparked Naruto's curiosity, but when he had continued to inquire about it, he had been refuted with the explanation that the Byakugan's abilities were clan secrets and as such not told to outsiders. He had dropped the subject, realizing that asking more questions about it would be a lost cause.

Suddenly, Hiashi leapt in front of Hinata, forming a Hand Sign as if he was going to do a Jutsu. Immediately Hizashi started screaming, clawing at his head, his face distorted in pain. Writhing in agony, he dropped to the ground, still clutching his head tightly, Naruto and Neji only being able to stare helplessly in mutual horror at what was ocurring in front of them. 

Faintly, Naruto could hear Hizashi's pressed voice full of the pain he was undoubtedly experiencing. "My head...!" Neji quickly crawled over to the fallen form of his father, extreme worry etched on his face, completely contrary to his earlier expression, as he called out to Hizashi. "Father!"

Naruto still knelt beside them, frozen in shock of the events transpiring in front of him, unable to do anything. "Father, what's wrong?" Neji looked shell-shocked, unsure what he could do to help his father and evidently feeling horrible about said inability. 

Naruto slowly shifted his gaze from Hizashi to Hiashi, to look for any guidance in the situation. The Hyūga Clan Head was still standing in front of Hinata, his face unyielding, eyes pitiless in the face of his own twin's apparent suffering. His voice was as cold as ice, monotone words spoken without even a hint of emotion. "Go home. This is the only time I will forgive that fool. Do not forget your fate." 

His words were directed at Neji, who had looked up at Hiashi's voice, dropped his head again to look at his spasming father. A look of horrid understanding was plastered on the older boy's once cheerful face. Anger at his own helplessness and the view of a broken down Neji at Hizashi's side, let Naruto finally act.

"How can you do something like this to your own family?!" 

His shout startled everyone in the room, as if they hadn't realized he had watched the whole time, Naruto immediately becoming the center of attention. At first, it looked like Hiashi would simply ignore him, but then a sharp answer ended the argument before it could even begin. "Do not interfere in something that does not concern you, much less when you do not even understand the situation at hand." 

Without another word, Hiashi turned around, walking out of the room. Hinata, who had been shielded from view by Hiashi, looked as scared and helpless as Naruto felt. Looking over at Neji again, he saw tears starting to form in the older boy's eyes, slowly running down his face. He heard Hinata being ushered out of the room by another Hyūga, but was unable to tear his gaze away from Neji. 

Naruto slowly stood up, his legs protesting vehemently after having sat upon for so long, trying to walk over to the crying Neji, unsure as to what he was going to do or say to comfort him, when a hand firmly clasped his shoulder, hindering his well-meant intention. Looking up he came face to face with his Hyūga caretaker, who had a saddened look on his face, simply shaking his head in solemn resignation, silently indicating that Naruto should leave Neji alone. 

Naruto looked back one last time, to see the trembling back of the older boy, still kneeling beside his father, as he was escorted out of the room by his caretaker.

* * *

After what happened during the spar, Naruto was finding it fairly difficult to fall asleep. He could never have imagined that his stay in this boring place would take such a horrifying turn. Who in their right mind would use a Jutsu so nonchalantly, to hurt their own family? 

Naruto turned on his futon for the umpteenth time, trying to find a good sleeping position. Eventually, he decided to simply give up, crawling out of bed and opening the sliding door of his room. Maybe a bit fresh air would help. He proceeded to make his way to the front door of the house, opening it with ease. 

Slipping out, he could feel the cool air brush his skin. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second, simply enjoying the sensation of the wind caressing his hair. Naruto looked up at the dark night sky, trying to count the stars, failing miserably because of the sheer amount. 

He sat there for a few minutes, contemplating to go back to his room and once again try to fall asleep, when suddenly a man came running from his left, completely startling Naruto. The man was pretty suspicious, both because of the fact that he was clearly an intruder, seeing that his eyes weren't Byakugans and because his face was hidden behind a mask, effectively obscuring the rest of his face from sight. 

Under his right arm, he held a small limp figure, which Naruto recognized as Hinata, because of the girl's short dark blue hair. Immediately, Naruto shot up from where he was sitting, pointing his finger accusingly at the apparent kidnapper. In retrospect, the reaction hadn't been very thought-out. 

"Hey! What the hell are you doing with Hinata!" 

The man stopped for a second, probably surprised at the sheer stupidity that the little child in front of him had just showcased, by calling him out and putting himself in danger too. It quickly turned out to be the wrong approach on Naruto's part, when the man charged him, either to kill him, knock him out, or kidnap him too.

Naruto let out a high-pitched scream, he would later vehemently deny, scrambling back, throwing his arms up in a instinctual, if weak, attempt to shield himself, eyes closing on reflex. Desperately he wished for something, anything to happen, for someone to come and save both Hinata and him. He could feel something hot spreading out quickly through his entire body making its way to his back with a flowing sensation. 

Any moment now, the man would grab him too, maybe even knock him out for good measure. There was a sound like rattling chains, which was odd because Hinata hadn't looked chained up, so why would the man enchain him? Naruto braced himself for whatever was going to happen to him, pretty much resigned to his fate. 

Nothing happened. 

When he slowly opened his eyes again, he saw that golden chains had wrapped around the man, obstructing even the tiniest of movements, effectively trapping him. Interestingly, the chains seemed to originate from Naruto's body, protruding from his back, where he could still feel the remnants of the heat he had felt only moments before. 

Unable to entirely grasp what had happened, Naruto felt his consciousness slip away, darkness consuming the edges of his vision. The last thing he saw was Hiashi or maybe Hizashi arrive, looking a bit startled at the scene, picking up the still unconscious Hinata, who had apparently been dropped by the surprised kidnapper when he had been assaulted with the chains. Hopefully the girl hadn't been hurt when she had fallen to the ground. 

Naruto's last thought, though as unrational as it possibly could get, was that at least he had finally managed to fall asleep.

* * *

When he woke up, Naruto found himself standing knee-deep in a sewer. 

Even with all the weird stuff that had already transpired at the Hyūga Compound this day, this certainly had to be the strangest yet. He looked around the dark place, trying to find a way out. Above him, water slowly dripped from a pipe, creating an audible sound, whenever it hit the water, rippling its surface. It was the only noise in the place, giving it an eerie atmosphere. 

He could also sense something similar to when the chains had appeared to trap the kidnapper come from a place further inside the sewer. The difference this time was, that it was outside his body and felt strangely corrosive, if he had to put it into words. 

The only alternative being to stay where he was, he resolved to follow the weird energy he felt to where it originated from, slowly making his way through the cold water. He couldn't say how long it took, it could have been mere minutes or even hours, but eventually he finally found himself standing before a huge iron gate with bars stopping anyone from entering. In the middle of the gate was a piece of paper adhering to it. Adults would probably have been able to read what was written on it, but Naruto had only started learning to read, courtesy of his uncle Orochimaru, so he didn't have the slightest idea what it said. 

The enormous red eyes that suddenly stared out of the darkness behind the bars and the sharp jagged teeth beneath them made Naruto stagger back. With a yelp he fell backwards into the water, making a huge splashing sound. The ruby eyes behind the bars just unmovingly started at him, Naruto slowly inching away from the gate, just as a precaution. "So my jailor finally graces me with his presence." 

The rational part of his mind screamed at him to run and find a way out, before he was bitten in half by those sharp canines. At the same time however, a stubborn, if not slightly suicidal, part of him was curious about the thing behind the bars. Sadly, Naruto had never been one for rationality, which more often than not got him into trouble. "Where is this place?" 

The look in the red eyes looked almost comically surprised at his words, clearly not having expected the question. The thing got closer to the bars and Naruto could finally make out more of its appearance. It looked like a fox, if one as tall as a mountain. "We are in your mind of course, where else?" 

Apparently this was supposed to be common knowledge. Huh. 

Which only brought up a different question altogether. "Um, not to be rude or anything, but what are you doing in my mind?" The giant fox looked even more flabbergasted at his words. "You don't know who I am?" 

Naruto simply shook his head in denial, which seemed to agitate the fox. "What are they teaching you nowadays in that Academy of yours?" That was weird, Naruto clearly wasn't old enough to attend the Academy. He told the fox so, who just snorted at him, showing he didn't care in the slightest.

"I am the Kyūbi, kid." Clearly he expected some sort of frightened reaction out of Naruto, who instead just blinked at him sheepishly. "So Kyūbi is your name?" 

The Kyūbi sighed in exasperation, like he couldn't belief the ridiculous situation he currently was in. "No, it is not my name. I am the strongest of the Bijū, represented by my nine tails, hence I am called the Kyūbi."

"But I still don't know who you are. It's as if I'm saying that I'm a human, dattebayo!" The Kyūbi looked torn between annoyance and amusement. "There is only one Kyūbi, you know, so your analogy doesn't match up." 

Naruto decided to ignore the statement, because he didn't had the faintest idea what an analogy was. Another thing to ask uncle Orochimaru the next time he came to visit. 

He stood up, walking closer to the gate, sticking out his hand for a handshake, like the adults often did when introducing themselves. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, dattebayo!" He waited for the Kyūbi to reciprocate his introduction. The fox just warily looked at Naruto's hand. For a second Naruto feared that the Kyūbi would bite of his hand instead. 

"Why aren't you afraid?" Naruto blinked, cocking his head slightly. "Should I? I mean you look all scary, but you aren't mean or anything, dattebayo!" The Kyūbi cried out indignation resonating in his voice. "I levelled your village and killed countless people including your own parents!" Confusion showed on Naruto's face at the mention of his parents. 

"My parents are alive, though? And uncle Orochimaru says that all people die eventually." In fact, Naruto hadn't quite understood his uncle's explanation about dying and killing at all, nor did he know what levelling a village meant, but the Kyūbi didn't need to know that in Naruto's opinion. 

"You are a strange human." Naruto simply shrugged at that, not knowing what exactly the Kyūbi meant with his statement. "Maybe. So what's your name?" 

The red eyes of the Kyūbi narrowed slightly. "Why would I tell a human my name?" Naruto contemplated the question for a while, mulling it over and over to find a suitable answer. Finally his face brightened, the smug look of the Kyūbi crumbling to pieces in an instant. "You don't have to introduce yourself. But I did and so it would be rude to not do it too, dattebayo!" 

Much to Naruto's surprise the Kyūbi started chuckling, quickly growing into roaring laughter. "You truly are a strange human. But you have piqued my interest, kid." Naruto didn't know what to answer to that, opting to remain silent instead.

"My name is Kurama. You better be grateful I told you my name, because you are slightly more tolerable than other humans."He slowly extended a claw, which Naruto took, which was most likely the next best thing to a handshake that was possible with their immense height difference. 

The second it was over the fox gave a sly grin. "The humans probably will grow worried if you don't wake up soon, so you should leave now." Before Naruto could protest that he wanted to stay a little longer or at least say goodbye to Kurama he felt as if he was being shoved back by someone, as he was thrown out of his own mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, I'm finally done! I hope you liked it and I didn't betray your expectations ^^.
> 
> The reason I chose the Hyūga setting was to a) have an excuse to make Hinata and Naruto childhood friends, b) introduce the Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai Adamantine Sealing Chains that Naruto should definitely have had in canon but didn't, c) set the stepping stone of stopping Hizashi's death in a hopefully realistic setting, which leads to a Neji that is a bit less... Neji-ish. 
> 
> Also how did you like Naruto's first meeting with the Kyūbi? I hope Naruto isn't presented as too mature for his age. As for why Minato, Kushina, Asura and Hashirama didn't appear too in Naruto's mindscape... well, you will see in the next chapter! 
> 
> Once again, I would like to ask for reviews so I can improve my writing style and please notify me if any nonexisting words crop up, as english is not my mother tongue. On that note I apologize in advance for any inconvenience should I mix american english and british english, which sadly, is a bad habit of mine xD.

**Author's Note:**

> If you are reading this, it (hopefully) means you decided to read this prologue (thanks!!!). I sincerely hope you liked it. My idea behind this chapter was to lay the foundation of Hiruzen actually raising Naruto (because, lets face it, he did a hell of a sloppy job in canon). 
> 
> If there are any misspellings or words that don't actually exist, well, english isn't my native language, so please correct me if you find any. 
> 
> I look forward to your reviews ^^


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